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Lojine Kamel

The Mad Ones

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars, and in the middle, you see the blue center-light pop, and everybody goes ahh….” – Jack Kerouac

Found on the walls of Beirut, a quote by American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac appears as if in the middle of nowhere. His portrait lies next to it, appraising his genius with evident satisfaction.

One of the fathers of the Beat Generation and arguably the original hipster, Kerouac’s exemplary writing style has garnered a massive following by rebellious youth of succeeding generations. This no doubt explains why one of his quotes were found in Beirut—we’re known for having some of the most open-minded and cultured people in the Middle East.

So really, this tribute to Kerouac is a testament to Beiruti cultural awareness. Awesome people quote awesome things, and the walls of Beirut make the perfect vessel.

It would kind of be an honor to be one of Kerouc’s “mad ones”, don’t you think?